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Wednesday, May 04, 2011

News From Here & There

Screenwriting CompetitionsBenjamin Craig at Filmmaking.net answers the question; "should you enter screenwriting competitions?" and offers tips on what to look for:

Reputable competitions should be able to attract industry sponsors. Does the competition's web site list any? Have you heard of them? Or if not, is there any information available about them on the web.

How to write movie scripts
Meanwhile, Meredith Farmer offers tips on how to write that screenplay, and why you should only pay a passing lip service to the "principles of screenwriting:"

I honestly believe that screenwriting books and screenwriting gurus can destroy a potentially good writer. This happens when a writer becomes an apostle of one particular way of approaching a screenplay and judges their writing only from that view point. The writer become blinded to anything but the "principles."

Getting video into iPad iMovie
One - of a few - problems with iMovie on the iPad is that it won't edit most video from cameras other than the iPad 2, iPhone or iPod Touch. Charlie Sorrel at Wired explains how to format video from other cameras to use in iMovie:

Even if video can be played back on the iPad, and shows up fine either in the Camera Roll or the native Videos app, iMove likely can’t see it. To fix this, you need first to convert the footage into the right format, and then introduce it gently to iMovie in just the right way.There are two ways to do this: On a Mac, using a couple of applications and then syncing the converted file back to your iPad; or right on the iPad itself, using certain iOS apps.

Canon T3i Review
In this video review, Caleb Pike at DSLR Video Shooter demos the Canon T3i. He runs through all the menus and features, including the digital zoom.

I didn’t think much of the T3i until I held one in my hand. I still think the 60D is the best choice for a serious shooter. Although if the funds aren’t there, or you can put up with limited ISOs and WB this is the camera for you.

Edward Burns on Indie Filmmaking
Edward Burns talks about how he made his latest movie, Newlyweds in these comments from the Tribeca Film Festival:

“The thing I would want to share — if there’s any young filmmakers out there — I’m telling you: $9000 to get your movie in the can, the field has been completely leveled,” Burns said to applause from the audience. “You can go and make your movies. There’s tons of ways to get your movies out there now. You can get into festivals, distribute them digitally. It is a brand-new world, and we now can do whatever we want to do. It is a good time to be a filmmaker.

Powering Your Camera
Need to extend the operating time of your camera? Andy Shipsides of Abelcine offers tips on Battery Mounting Systems, Battery Plates, Accessories & Cables and Alternative Camera Batteries in this piece which is oriented towards cameras like the Panasonic AG-AF100, Sony PMW-F3 and NEX-FS100, but should be applicable to other pro cameras as well.CineTechnica: Powering Your Compact Cine Camera

Working with Constraints: in this article, Nathan Weller suggests that constraints aren't always a bad thing, and can actually help your creativity: Constraints are, in my opinion, a secret weapon that we can use to give ourselves a little creative boost when we need to take things to the next level. WDL: Adding Constraints May Boost Your Creativity